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AUSXIP Spartacus News

12 August 2010

Cast Bios For New Spartacus: GotA Actors

DUSTIN CLARE (GANNICUS)

Dustin Clare plays Gannicus, the champion gladiator of Batiatus’ ludus in “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” a Starz original action-adventure drama series. In the class-conscious world of ancient Capua, the House of Batiatus has not yet earned the respect of local society, or the right for its gladiators to fight in the championship bouts. Gannicus must survive the arena to not only keep his place in the ludus but also rise to become the champion in all of Capua.

Clare recently completed Fred Schepisi’s feature film The Eye of the Storm, opposite Charlotte Rampling, Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush.
Clare starred as Sean in the second and third seasons of “Satisfaction,” where he earned a Logie Award nomination for “Most outstanding Actor” and a Golden Nymph nomination for "Most Outstanding Actor" at the 49th Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco. He also played the lead character Riley Ward in the highly popular television drama, “McLeod’s Daughters,” which he won the Logie Award for “Most Popular New Talent.”

His other television appearances include the critically acclaimed second series of “Underbelly” and guest roles in the leading Australian television series “All Saints and Headland.”

Clare graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2004.

JAIME MURRAY (GAIA)

Jaime Murray portrays Gaia in “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” a Starz original action-adventure drama series. Gaia is a long time friend of Lucretia on the prowl for a new husband.

Murray is well-established in the UK and previously made her mark starring in the AMC/BBC acclaimed hit “Hu$tle” also starring Adrian Lester and Robert Vaughan. It ran for four seasons abroad and will be made into a feature film with the original cast next Spring.
She completed two other films last year; the British caper “Botched” opposite Stephen Dorff; and the thriller The Deaths of Ian Stone with Mike Vogel.

Previous credits include the role of glamorous model Bianca Minola in the updating of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” with Rufus Sewell, “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” opposite Elliot Gould, and “Keen Eddie” with Sienna Miller.

Murray studied Philosophy and Psychology at London School of Economics before honing her craft at the prestigious method acting school, Drama Centre. She originally came to Hollywood for six weeks to shoot the CBS supernatural drama pilot “Demons” with Ron Eldard, but even though that pilot did not go to series she quickly landed a showcasing role on Showtime's “Dexter” with Michael Hall. She went on to also do the CW series “Valentine” and “Beautiful Life.” Most recently she had a recurring role on Syfy's “Warehouse 13.”

Marisa Ramirez portrays Melitta, the personal slave to Lucretia and wife to Oenomaus in “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” a Starz original action-adventure drama series. She struggles to balance the small portion of freedom she's attained within the confines of the villa, with the cold reality of her very real status as a slave.

Ramirez began her career at age thirteen when one of the top modeling agencies in Los Angeles discovered her Polaroid® snapshot. Soon, she was traveling around the globe as an international fashion model and later returned home to California to pursue acting.

Ramirez played the spirited supermodel Gia Campbell on ABC’s daytime drama “General Hospital,” which earned her a nomination for an NAACP Image Award® and an ALMA Award® as "Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series." Her other television appearances also include a role on ABC’s short-lived but critically hailed investigative drama “Miracles,” FOX’s summer medical drama “Mental,” and she co-hosted MTV’s “Senseless Acts of Video.”

Ramirez has appeared as the lead role in music videos such as “Wild, Wild West” (Will Smith), “American Woman” (Lenny Kravitz), “As Long As You Love Me” (Backstreet Boys) and “Give It to You” (Jordan Knight).
She also volunteers for a variety of philanthropic causes focusing on HIV/AIDS awareness, education, and eradication to animal rescue. She currently resides in Los Angeles, where she was born and raised.

Jeffrey Thomas is a Welsh-born New Zealand actor, best known for his television roles. He rose to prominence in New Zealand in the late ‘80s with the lead role of Inspector Brian Finn in the TVNZ police drama series “Shark in the Park,” and is also well-known for his roles in two long-running New Zealand soap operas, “Mercy Peak” and “Shortland Street.” His distinctive voice can be heard narrating a large number of documentaries.

Internationally, Thomas is best known for his roles of Jason in “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” and narrator in Costa Botes's and Peter Jackson's mockumentary “Forgotten Silver.” Thomas is a graduate of Liverpool University and Oxford University in England. Bilingual in English and Welsh, he is also a writer of dramatic material in both languages. He has scripted several episodes of New Zealand television drama series, and has also written several stage plays, including “Playing the Game,” which has been performed in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

TEMUERA MORRISON (DOCTORE)
Temuera Morrison has become one of New Zealand’s most famous stars for his roles as the abusive Jake "the Muss" Heke in 1994's Once Were Warriors and as bounty hunter Jango Fett and the Clone Troopers in the Star Wars series. He also voiced Boba Fett in the 2004 special edition of Star Wars episodes V and VI.

Morrison, a Maori, was born in the town of Rotorua in the North Island of New Zealand. He attended Wesley College, Auckland. Trained in drama under the New Zealand Special Performing Arts Training Scheme, one of his earliest roles was in the 1988 film Never Say Die, opposite Lisa Eilbacher.

His role in Once Were Warriors won him international acclaim, and he received the 1994 award for best male performance in a dramatic role from the New Zealand Film and TV Awards. He reprised the role in the sequel, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, for which he received the Best Actor award from the New Zealand Film Awards. He has appeared in supporting roles in Speed 2: Cruise Control and The Beautiful Country. Morrison is featured in the upcoming Green Lantern.